How could we possibly know in a useful way? We can only speculate on what we're presented and there's so much more outside that which comprises the Star Trek universe. Worst: Some observation or research outpost on a frozen planet. Good: Another Starship, or deep space exploration vessel.... just a couple among countless possibilities. The cosmos is the limit.

I'd think that a base like the one Scotty was exiled to in Star Trek 09 would be pretty bad. Not only was itout in a frozen wasteland, but it was pretty damn lonely there, too.

Best would be largely based on what the individual would want. I'd fantasize about a duty such as a training position which would include about half the time on Earth at the academy, and the other half in space on a training mission. The best of both. However, there has never been a canon position like this shown, to my knowledge.

Worst starship assignment: USS Exeter under Capt Tracy. USS Defiant when it was near Tholian space. USS Intrepid when it met the giant space amoeba.
Worst ground assignment: The dude mopping the floor in the bridge sim building in TWoK. he joined Starfleet to see the Universe and instead is stuck in San Francisco.

I was thinking about this when I was watching a recent TNG episode, about how the Enterprise was the "best assignment possible".

So if the Enterprise was the best assignment for a starfleet officer, what would be the worst, and what would be other "good" assignments?

I would imagine any "explorer" type mission would be highly coveted. Conversely, any deep space station mission (a la DS9) may not be as highly coveted, or perhaps stuck on Spacedock.

I use the TNG/DS9/Voy timeframe for this.

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According to the novel Typhon Pact: Paths of Disharmony the icy Delta Vega in the Vulcan system is still a shitty assignment in the 24th century. An Enterprise-E security officer mentions having spent months there.

I'd love to watch the occasional giant monster roaming by from the base windows. That'd keep me entertained for the first week, at least.

I think it would depend on your service branch and personality. Some may not want to venture far from Earth or planetside service in general. Others may be drawn to deep space and exploration. A scientist may love being stuck on some distant world doing tedious anaylysis in a crappy environment. Your mileage may vary.

The only people who we ever heard say they wanted to be on the Enterprise were the people who were already on the Enterprise, so either they requested the assignment and got it or they were assigned it and then decided that they wanted it.

Dr. Lense and Dr. Bashir were from a class that decided the Lexington was the plum assignment, and Lense got her desired job, but then so did Bashir! So was Lexington really the plum assignment, or was it that all the graduates had their pick of any jobs they wanted?

Makes you wonder how assignments work in Starfleet. If the Enterprise-D, for instance, is so coveted, then how did the likes of Barclay land a position there?

I have to wonder if interstellar exploration is something anyone and a replicator can pull off. Or if, despite humanity's evolved sensibilities, SF is leary of letting anyone run around the universe.

That's definitly fodder for a nice story. Sort of a "Why do you think Earth is a paradise? They want us STUCK here, while the brightest of the bright take their rightful place in the heavens" conspiricy story. Seems like Miracleman was going that way before it was cancelled.

Or if, despite humanity's evolved sensibilities, SF is leary of letting anyone run around the universe.

That's definitly fodder for a nice story. Sort of a "Why do you think Earth is a paradise? They want us STUCK here, while the brightest of the bright take their rightful place in the heavens" conspiricy story.

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The problem with this is that we've seen plenty of civilians with their own ships, including the Hansens exploring space on their own aboard their ship, the S.S. Raven.

Or if, despite humanity's evolved sensibilities, SF is leary of letting anyone run around the universe.

That's definitly fodder for a nice story. Sort of a "Why do you think Earth is a paradise? They want us STUCK here, while the brightest of the bright take their rightful place in the heavens" conspiricy story.

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The problem with this is that we've seen plenty of civilians with their own ships, including the Hansens exploring space on their own aboard their ship, the S.S. Raven.

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True, but they were 'authorized' and had a flight plan. Harry Mudd and the Hansens arn't exactly ringing endorsements for letting civvies run around.

Probably the all-out worst location for TOS is Uhura's chair. Communication shifts are monotonously long and beamdown privileges are so infrequent that bedsores are inevitable. Highlights of her day are being rendered unconscious, practically electocuted, zapped into cube-form or getting mentally freaked out by Bizzaro-Spock.....usually without leaving the chair.

Best location? Spock's. He's got the minature adult film viewer at his console which only Chekov gets to share.

I'd fantasize about a duty such as a training position which would include about half the time on Earth at the academy, and the other half in space on a training mission.

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I'll go along with this. I can't imagine that being cooped up on a ship with recycled air, no natural sunlight, etc. for very long would be healthy regardless of whatever advances in technology they come up with. Plus, the idea of being confined inside a ship for extended periods of time would drive me insane.

Or if, despite humanity's evolved sensibilities, SF is leary of letting anyone run around the universe.

That's definitly fodder for a nice story. Sort of a "Why do you think Earth is a paradise? They want us STUCK here, while the brightest of the bright take their rightful place in the heavens" conspiricy story.

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The problem with this is that we've seen plenty of civilians with their own ships, including the Hansens exploring space on their own aboard their ship, the S.S. Raven.

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True, but they were 'authorized' and had a flight plan.

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Having to file a flight plan is hardly the same thing as not having a right to explore space. And the exact nature of the Hansens' "authorization" is unclear.